


Don't Tell The General

by verymerrysioux



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24959173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/verymerrysioux/pseuds/verymerrysioux
Summary: General Impa is a strict and no-nonsense leader, she has to be when leading the army in the war of all ages. Though even with a healthy dose of respect and fear the Sheikah warrior inspires, there are still soldiers willing to do mischief behind her back. So long as nobody tells her, it's fine.They didn't consider a little boy in green finding out.
Relationships: Time & Warriors (Linked Universe)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 198





	Don't Tell The General

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love is Not a Potato](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23712469) by [EstaJay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstaJay/pseuds/EstaJay). 



> It was originally supposed to be a 5 times something-something fic, but it grew to have a story in it.
> 
> Anyways I got inspired by the last chapter of Love is Not a Potato (see the work this is inspired from), where Time comments how he sometimes called Impa "mom", and I imagined like hilarious scenarios of the "don't tell mom" variety.
> 
> I didn't put the Linked Universe tag since I didn't intend it to be for LU. I dunno, what do you guys think? I only used the Time and Warriors tag to differentiate them since there's no Young Link official tag. 
> 
> Related note: I might do some rearranging on the tags and collections in my fics since there are a few set in Hyrule Warriors that can be read as a stand-alone. Ehhh, kinda lazy tho.
> 
> No beta, I die like the turncoat soldiers you see a lot in Hyrule Warriors.

They finally have a day of reprieve after weeks of scouting and fighting in this new era. So he and the boys are going to take advantage of that precious time to unwind as much as possible. 

They venture out from the camp, not too far that they lose sight of it, but far enough from prying eyes and nosy ears. Nobody questions it. They all need a break. Even their captain has decided to hole off in his tent and sleep the entire night (none of them blame him, this war is on a different level than any war their country has faced).

"Are those moon rocks?" A voice asks.

They all yelp, jumping away and brandishing their swords, ready to slash at whoever followed them. They let out sighs of relief when they see it's not an enemy, then stiffen when they realize that the person wasn't part of their group and they've been caught, then horror sinks into the pits of their stomachs as they consider who this is.

"What're you doing here?" One of them asks, lowering his sword and trying to calm his beating heart.

Young Link pays them no mind, squatting down and poking at the bowl of fuzzy green nuggets curiously. "Was looking for Lana. Where did you get these?" He asks, picking one up and sniffing it. He wrinkles his nose. "We haven't passed by a town or village for months. Have you guys always had this?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, kid," one of them says, forcing a smile. "They're-"

"Cabbages!" Another blurts.

All of them, Young Link included, looks at the red-faced soldier in disbelief.

"Baby cabbages!" He babbles, waving his hands sporadically. "My village grows them a lot. They're very nutritious! We call them Brussels sprouts, you know? Because my village's Brussels. Though I personally call it Brussel sprout since it's less of a hassle to say and-"

"Neil," the soldier beside him groans, "do us all a favor and shut up."

Neil wisely does so.

"I know what moon rocks look like," Young Link informs them, unimpressed. "I've been to a bar that had rooms for using it." He eyes the sheets of paper next to the bowl. "You should probably use a pipe, by the way. I've heard lots of times that it's messy smoking it like that."

"You're like seven," Neil, who's three seconds of silence is broken by his incredulity, says. "Why were you in a bar? Why did anyone allow you in a bar?"

"I'm ten, and they had good milk there."

That explains absolutely nothing.

" Don't tell the general," one of them asks after a moment of silence. 

Young Link tilts his head.

"... Please?"

They're all given a beatific and angelic smile, reminding them that while the adult Link they know as their captain commands respect, the younger Link is the one that strikes fear in their hearts. 

“What’s in it for me?”

Not just because of the mask he often dons in battle.

* * *

Lana stares at the tiny Hero of Time. The Hero of Time stares back.

"I can explain," she stammers, hugging onto the long pillow tightly. She makes a mental note to put privacy charms on her tent. If it had been Agitha—or worse, Midna—walking in her tent? Well, awkward would be the mildest thing to describe the scenario, considering who was printed on the pillowcase. "It helps me relax!"

A beat.

"Alright," Young Link says amiably, nodding. She wants to cry. She knows that look and tone. Has witnessed that look and tone numerous times in him and his other incarnations. It's the one he has when meeting a haunted hand in a toilet, the one he has when first meeting an ooccoo, the one he always has when seeing Tingle. "I'm gonna look for Sheik, you look busy."

"Don't tell General Impa," she chokes. Or anyone for that matter.

"Sure." And with that, he lifts the wicker basket he dropped in shock and leaves.

* * *

“Here is the best place to ambush them.”

“Right.”

"I'd offer you brownie points but these aren't for me." Young Link pats the basket next to him, looking at the map detailing the route the army has been following. "And I don't think traitors get dessert, not this kind anyways."

These soldiers, unlike the first group he met in the woods, don't lower their swords when they see it's him.

"You're not telling the general anything," one of them threatens menacingly, pressing the point of the blade so hard on the kid's skin that he bleeds.

"Don't worry," he says, drawing his own sword. "Impa's got a lot on her plate right now. I won't tell anyone."

He smiles, sharp and cold. " And neither will you."

The moon glows bright tonight.

* * *

"Hypothetically," a voice starts near her ear, she turns and whips a kunai from her sleeves, its sharpened edge pressing against the intruder's skin in warning. 

Young Link looks unperturbed at the blade near his throat, only shifting the basket on his hip. "If I had really bad stomach pain, what would I take?" He asks.

She scowls. "You should heed the captain's advice and stop doing that."

"So you don't know anything?"

"You have to be specific," she tells him, wondering how anyone managed to keep this child from getting himself killed. "Is one of the soldiers hiding their injuries?"

"Hypothetically, this soldier is hiding his pain," Young Link agrees in a voice many of them have dubbed the Grown-Ups-Are-Stupid voice. "It's not like a stab wound so he's not gonna waste time and resources for the sake of comfort."

She frowns. The way Young Link recites it means it's words he's heard time and time again, which means this wasn't the first incident. A medical condition, then? "Describe the pain to me."

"I dunno, it always looks like he's being clawed by hundreds of knives." Young Link shrugs. "He puts a hot towel over his stomach. I thought sweets would help as a distraction, it's what I do when I hurt too much."

That explained the basket of brownies, though she doesn't know how he got so many of them. And frankly, she doesn't want to find out, Young Link was a worse trouble magnet than their own Link. "Red potions don't work?"

"Not really. Even if it did, it'd be a waste of army resources for him."

"Bleeding?"

"Yeah, but not from a wound." He frowns. "At least, that's what he told me the first time I saw it. Hypothetically, he could have lied if he thinks it's no big deal."

She narrows her eyes. There are a few people Young Link stays with long enough that he's aware of their pain and their attitude towards it. And there's one soldier who she knows would suffer from stomach pains and bleeding once a month, who would cover it up both out of shame and a self-sacrificing sense of duty, who would make Young Link worry enough to ask.

Hypothetical her ass. "It's for the captain, isn't it?" She sighs.

"Hypothetically, what if it is?"

She looks through her pouch and brings out a bottle of pills. "One should be enough, the pain will ebb in around fifteen minutes. If you run out, don't hesitate to ask me for more."

Young Link beams. "Thanks!" He takes the bottle and puts it in the basket.

She hums, tapping her cheek. She hadn't been wearing her mask and her hair was down, making her look less like a Sheikah warrior and more like the princess who had a tan. Not that it matters to him, he figured it out the moment he saw her. "And Young Link?"

"I won't tell Impa your super-secret identity," he vows, mockingly solemn. "Even though you still carry the same harp shown in the paintings of the princess and you absolutely suck at being a Sheikah."

"Brat."

* * *

He groans at the sudden increase of weight on his stomach, cracking one eye and glaring at the grinning child on top of him.

"I will throw you off," he threatens, doing nothing of that sort.

The kid's grin widens even more. "Do that and I won't give you the good shit I brought." He brings up a basket and puts it on his chest, blocking his view.

"Don't swear," he grumbles, putting the basket to his side and then carrying the kid off his stomach. He sits up. "I smell chocolate. What the fuck's in it?"

"Brownies," the kid replies. "Normal brownies, not moon ones."

"I'm worried that you think I'm in need of moon-dosed brownies, and that you know what they are," he comments idly, opening the basket. Sure enough, there's a batch of decadent-looking fudge brownies and a bottle of pills. Familiar pills, one he ran out a month ago. "... Kid?"

"Hm?"

"I thought I said not to tell General Impa about this."

The kid looks at him with earnest eyes and a bright smile. "I didn't! I kept my promise! I didn't tell Impa at all!"

What an adorable little shit. "You told someone else."

"I told someone else," the kid affirms, proud of himself. "I tried Lana, since she's a witch and witches have spells and potions for pain, but she was busy."

Thank all the goddesses for that. Lana hides it better than his other suitors, but it's obvious that she's infatuated with him, and he'd rather not have any more romantic messes, big or small.

"So I thought Sheik would have painkillers or something." The kid shrugs. "I saw my Sheik take some potions during my adventure, even though he wasn't hurt, and I figure maybe it had something to do with this."

"Kid," he sighs, rubbing his head. "You know what I meant, can you not be a little shit for on-"

"You're bleeding," the kid snaps, angry and fierce. "You're bleeding and you hurt so much that you're lying on the bedroll curled up, what was I supposed to do?"

He pauses, imagining himself in the kid's shoes. Waking up to find your guardian (as shitty as he is in being a guardian, he's the only one the kid has until this clusterfuck is over) bleeding and in pain, then being told not to say anything about it, assuring them it's not a big deal while not explaining why (that conversation was awkward and uncomfortable in so many ways).

He lets out a breath, he'd be terrified too. Justifiably so. "You're right."

The kid blinks, surprised at the admission. He leans forward and tugs on his tunic, he’s not wearing his scarf, so the kid’s favorite pulling target is missing. "And?"

He raises an eyebrow. "And I'm sorry."

The tugging intensifies. _"Aaaand?"_

Such a cute little shit. "And I'm a stupid grown-up worrying about stupid things," he huffs. "Come on, I have some Lon Lon milk stored in preservation bottles, so it should still be fresh. It'll go well with the brownies." He lifts the basket up. "Din's fire, how much are in here?"

"It's for munchies," the kid informs him happily. "That's why it's a lot."

There's a story there, and for his sanity and the rest of his break, he won't ask for it. 

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, nay, or meh?


End file.
